BlackBerry unveils PlayBook tablet to take on Apple iPad

Blackberry maker Research In Motion has unveils a tablet computer to try to rival Apple's iPad.

The BlackBerry PlayBook has a 18cm touchscreen and two high-definition cameras and weighs 400 grams. It has wifi and bluetooth but needs to link with a BlackBerry smartphone to access a 3G network.

RIM will release the PlayBook to corporate customers and developers next month and to the public early in 2011 - meaning it will miss the Christmas sales at a time when many competing tablets are expected to hit the market.

The company is yet to say how much it will charge for the device, but it is expected to be at the lower end of the market.

Analyst Pablo Perez-Fernandez, of MKM Partners, said he was initially sceptical about the tablet but had decided it could stand apart from the iPad.

"We think this was a positive surprise, they did a good job of integrating it with the handset," he said.

Shares in RIM rose 2% before dropping back slightly in after-hours trading following the announcement.

The Canadian firm has struggled to impress investors and analysts, who mostly shrugged off last month's launch of its Torch smartphone.

But the market for tablets - touchscreen computers larger than a smartphone and smaller than a laptop - has exploded since Apple launched its iPad in April. Samsung and Dell have released competing devices in the past two months, with others expected from Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba.

Industry analysts expect global tablet sales of 40 million to 50 million units next year, with the market still dominated by the iPad.

The PlayBook can mirror a BlackBerry phone, giving users a bigger screen to view media and edit documents, and wipes out all corporate data once the link between the two devices is broken.

But the absence of a direct link to networks means mobile firms may not be eager to promote it.

HOW THE PLAYBOOK COMPARES

RIM PlayBookSeven-inch screen, weighs under a poundTechnicals: Runs on a 1 GHz dual-core processor and the new BlackBerry Tablet operating systemMemory: 1 GB RAMNetwork: Will initially need a BlackBerry smartphone to access a mobile networkCamera: Two cameras to support video-conferencingMedia: Supports Adobe Flash playerPrice: Not announced but RIM said it would be in the lower range of pricesOn sale: in stores early 2011

Samsung Galaxy TabSeven-inch screen, weighs under a poundTechnicals: 1 GHz Hummingbird processor and Google's Android 2.2 softwareMemory: 16 Gb and 32 Gb models; has a memory card slot that can add another 32 Gb of storageNetwork: Runs on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon WirelessCamera: Two cameras to support video-conferencingMedia: Supports Adobe Flash player. Galaxy Tab users can stream, but not download, content from MediaHub service, which allows users to watch movies and TV shows from an online store similar to iTunes. Samsung has signed content deals with MTV Networks, NBC Universal and Paramount. It has access to the more than 100,000 applications on the Android MarketPrice: Not announced yet but mobile carriers will set different prices. The Galaxy Tab was selling for more than the iPad in FinlandOn sale: US date yet to be announced; Samsung said it would be in stores in time for Christmas

Apple iPadNine-and-a-half-inch screen, weighs up to 1.6lbTechnicals: 1GHz Apple A4 processor with Mac OSMemory: Comes in 16 GB, 32 GB, or 64 GB modelsNetwork: Exclusively compatible with AT&TCamera: NoneMedia: iTunes store offers millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows available for download. Apple also has 250,000 mobile applications in its apps store, which dwarfs its competitor, the Android Market.On sale: already in storesPrice: 16 GB version with 3G retails for $629, 32 GB retails for $729 and the 64 GB version is $829.

Dell StreakFive-inch screen, the smallest of its rivalsTechnicals: uses a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and runs on Google's Android systemNetwork: Can be used as a smartphone on AT&T onlyMemory: 16 MB installed but memory cards allow moreCamera: Comes with two camerasPrice: $549.99, or $299.99 with a two-year contract from AT&T in the USMedia: Can browse websites to stream movies, music and TV shows as well as applications on the Android marketOn sale: five-inch model in stores now but Dell has said it has a new tablet with a larger screen in the works.